Terrence Howard's third ex-wife has been awarded a portion of his earnings from hit TV series Empire in their long-running legal battle over spousal support. The Butler star divorced Michelle Ghent in 2013 after three years of marriage and the former couple has been embroiled in a legal battle ever since, as Ghent alleged Howard had failed to keep up with the payments outlined in their divorce settlement.
Howard filed paperwork insisting he could not afford the $50,000 (£31,000) he owed because he had tax debts to settle and already paid spousal support to his first ex-wife Lori McCommas.
Ghent filed a subpoena to access Howard's salary for hip-hop drama Empire, which premiered in the U.S. in January (15), and according to documents obtained by TMZ.com, she will now receive 21 per cent of any earnings Howard made over $62,500 (£39,000) in the first three months of this year (15).
Howard is now married to his fourth wife Miranda, and they are expecting their first child together.

Filmmaker Lee Daniels' hit hip-hop drama Empire is at the centre of a legal battle amid allegations the show's storyline tarnishes the brand of real-life record label Empire Distribution. Label bosses, who have worked with the likes of rappers Kendrick Lamar, Sean Paul and N.O.R.E., have taken issue with the name of the show, which documents the drama surrounding the fictional Empire Records, amid concerns members of the public believe the two are linked.
Company representatives point to actor Terrence Howard's character Lucious Lyon, head of TV's Empire Records, as a "homophobic drug dealer prone to murdering his friends", which is having a negative affect on their business.
They are calling on U.S. network officials at Fox hand over $8 million (£5 million) to compensate them for the fall-out, while they are also seeking to have their artists featured as regulars on the show in exchange for letting them keep the Empire name.
However, Fox chiefs are refusing to bow to the demands, insisting there is nothing special about the word "Empire", and they have now filed suit against Empire Distribution executives in a bid to prove their claim is bogus as the label is relatively obscure, reports TMZ.com.
Fox bosses are asking a judge to rule on the matter before production begins on season two.

Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson put on a child's voice whenever she had to get intimate with her Empire co-star Terrence Howard in a bid to stop him from becoming aroused on set. The stars play divorced couple Lucious and Cookie Lyon on Lee Daniels' hit hip-hop drama series and the storyline for the first season called for the actors to shoot love scenes together.
Henson reveals the two friends, who previously worked together on Hustle & Flow, took extra measures to make sure the steamy scenes didn't become uncomfortable for either of them.
She tells New York radio personality Angie Martinez, "You have to keep them (love scenes) professional. They (men) can't help if they get aroused.
"Every time we lay there (in bed), he kept talking to his little male member... Every time he would get on top of me I would say (in a baby voice), 'Daddy, why are you on top of me? Where is Mommy? Why is the door closed?' And it worked!"
Empire has taken U.S. audiences by storm since its debut in January (15) and Henson claims fans of the show, which wrapped its first run on Wednesday (18Mar15), mob her whenever she's out in New York City.
She says, "Cookie's stolen my life... It's crazy 'cause I've been here. It goes to show all my hard work has paid off. I'm no longer Taraji... I'm Cookie. It's overwhelming."

Madonna's new video for Ghosttown will feature Hustle & Flow star Terrence Howard. The promo will be directed by the pop star's longtime video collaborator Jonas Akerlund, who was behind the camera for her Ray of Light, Music and American Life videos.

Comedian Steve Harvey has fired back at Terrence Howard after the actor called for the creator of his hit new TV drama to let his music mogul character use the N-word. Howard made his comments during an interview with Access Hollywood Live on Monday (16Mar15), when he admitted he uses the term daily, as does his Empire boss Lee Daniels.
The Hustle & Flow star said, "If we're really gonna tackle racism, if we're gonna tackle bigotry... we need to tackle it dead on... We need to take the sutures, open up the problem and reach in and grab it, and since 'n**ga' is used in almost every conversation in most black neighbourhoods, why is it that we don't hear it on TV anymore?
"If this is something we use on a daily basis then let's address what it really means... It (the N-word) could mean love, sometimes it's a noun, sometimes it's a verb, sometimes it's an adjective. There's a spirit attached to it... My dad uses it, my brothers use it, I use it. I'm hoping maybe that I won't use it with my son, but I don't know if I'll be honest if I didn't use it with my son. My friends use it... It has taken on this term to us, but it's (been) blown out of proportion."
But Harvey, who has become a leading voice in African-American culture, insists there's no place for the N-word on TV.
He says, "I got that it's used, I got the use of it, I understand it, but putting it on network television is not a bright idea. It won't make the show better... You're gonna tick a couple of people off and then you gonna mess around and tick of a sponsor..., and now your little show ain't on the air anymore."
But Harvey would love to appear on the hit show, adding, "This is the episode I think we oughta do - Lucious (Howard's character) oughta say the N-word and I slap the hell outta him."

Terrence Howard was convinced he was looking at a flop when he read the first few pages of the Empire script because he felt sure America wasn't ready to see two men kissing on TV. The actor's Hustle & Flow co-star Taraji P. Henson urged show creator Lee Daniels to hire her friend as her character's ex-husband, but when the call came through from The Butler director, Howard wasn't sure he wanted the role of music mogul Lucious Lyon, whose second son is gay.
He explains, "I didn't think it was gonna work... I got my assistant and I was like, 'Man, this is some c**p... How are they gonna shoot this?'
"Twelve minutes into the pilot, you've got two men kissing... If I was 12 years old and my father came downstairs and saw me watching the TV show that had men kissing, I would have a life-long conversation with my daddy and I would never be able to watch TV again. That's the environment I grew up in. That's the environment my friends grew up in.
"I was like, 'This is a show aimed towards the black demographic and do you really think this is gonna fly?' I called (studio bosses at) Fox. I was like, 'You need to take the kissing outta this; this is gonna shut down the show'. I was so wrong.
"I didn't know how ready the world was to see the truth."

Terrence Howard is refusing to give up the use of the N-word, despite cries from politically correct African-Americans who feel the hateful term should be outlawed. In a hard-hitting rant during an appearance on U.S. morning show Access Hollywood Live on Monday (16Mar15), the Hustle & Flow star insisted he'll never give up ownership of the word, revealing he uses it in conversations and texts with members of his family, friends and even director Lee Daniels, the creator of his hit new show Empire.
And he's urging Daniels to let his character, Lucious Lyon, use the word in the second season of the TV drama for the sake of authenticity.
Howard said, "If we're really gonna tackle racism, if we're gonna tackle bigotry... we need to tackle it dead on... We need to take the sutures, open up the problem and reach in and grab it, and since n**ga is used in almost every conversation in most black neighbourhoods, why is it that we don't hear it on TV anymore? Are white people afraid of it?
"If this is something we use on a daily basis then let's address what it really means... It (the N-word) could mean love, sometimes it's a noun, sometimes it's a verb, sometimes it's an adjective. There's a spirit attached to it... My dad uses it, my brothers use it, I use it. I'm hoping maybe that I won't use it with my son, but I don't know if I'll be honest if I didn't use it with my son. My friends use it... It has taken on this term to us, but it's (been) blown out of proportion."
The actor adds, "Some of my white friends that I've grown up with..., when they use it, it doesn't have any malintent associated with it; it's just a noun, and adjective, an adverb... It no longer describes the state of a race or a human being.
"Lee (Daniels), when me and him talk to each other we use it on a daily basis... and whether Lee gets mad about this... I'm just being honest. The word is used, so if one person can use it, then everybody should use it... and if somebody's got a problem on how I feel about it, they can kiss my black a**."

Actor Terrence Howard has turned accessories designer after creating a new silky wristband for men like himself who don't like the feel of metal on his skin. The Hustle & Flow star showed off his "gatherings" during an appearance on U.S. news show Access Hollywood Live on Monday (16Mar15), and revealed his line is taking off.
He explained, "I don't like metal on my skin and I love the feeling of something soft, but I like the watch... so it was like the better choice for me to feel comfortable...
"When I go out with my friends we all have the same bands on and we throw our hands up in the middle of the night and everybody knows who's together... and we don't have to worry about who's with us, 'cos they all have the gathering on."

Filmmaker Lee Daniels shunned plans to make his new hip-hop drama Empire for the big screen because he has grown tired of scrambling for funding for his movie projects. The Precious director co-created Empire with his writing partner Danny Strong, basing it on the 1966 James Goldman play The Lion in Winter, and he admits choosing to turn the idea into a TV series was all about the money, because he wanted the guarantee of a cash injection from U.S. network bosses.
He explains, "My partner Danny Strong... pitched Lion in the Winter (sic)... and I said, 'OK...' He said, 'Let's do it hip-hop (sic)' and I said, 'Let's do it for TV.' He said, 'Why not a film?' and I said, 'Cause I wanna make some money for once!' Because you know, we've been to the Oscars and the Golden Globes and we end up right back where we were, at square one, scratching for dollars for the next movie."
Daniels chose to team up with executives at Fox to air the show so his relatives didn't need to shell out for cable TV service, and although he is having to get to grips with the restrictions imposed on dramas for primetime TV, he insists it's actually helping him find new ways to get his story across.
He says, "It was important for me to go into network television, because I had the option of doing cable or network, and I decided primetime because I wanted my family to watch it and you know, a lot of my family can't afford cable, so it was really important for them to see my story, our story, on primetime.
"And it helps me creatively (having things you can't do for network TV), because on cable you can say whatever, and how do you tell a story about hip-hop without using some of those (curse) words, you know what I mean...? The poetry is the language and the language is the music and the music is the magic, so what I do, is we work the actors to do the work with nuance, glances, and those nuances say those words (without saying them out loud)... It's all in the acting."
Empire, which stars Terrence Howard as an embattled hip-hop mogul, has featured acting turns from Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love and Mary J. Blige and it has proved to be such a hit, it has already been picked up for a second series - and now other stars are lobbying Daniels for guest appearances.
He quips, "Everybody's coming, everybody. I'm waiting for (U.S. President Barack) Obama to call!"

"We're done with this season, why do you think I'm looking so fat now...? I look like I'm six months pregnant right now. It's OK." Actor Terrence Howard is packing on the pounds after wrapping up filming for the first season of his new hip-hop drama series Empire. The U.S. show, created by filmmaker Lee Daniels, has just been picked up for a second season by Fox network executives..

Portrayed a seasoned cameraman embarking on an unauthorized mission to find a war criminal in "The Hunting Party"

Portrayed legendary boxing great Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali in ABC biopic "Muhammad Ali: King of the World"

Played Jackie Jackson in highly rated ABC miniseries "The Jacksons: An American Dream"

Co-starred with Jodie Foster in crime drama "The Brave One"

Cast in supporting role as a fearsome criminal in Martin Lawrence comedy "Big Momma's House"

Summary

Capable of portrayals frighteningly intense or silky smooth, actor Terrence Howard earned accolades for roles that often pushed against mainstream racial preconceptions. Following a tumultuous childhood that included his father being sent to prison on manslaughter charges, Howard dropped out of college in order to pursue an acting career. A handful of television guest spots and supporting parts in features gradually accrued, until roles in efforts like the crime thriller "Dead Presidents" (1995) and a turn in the romantic comedy "The Best Man" (1999) enhanced his notoriety. Five years later, standout performances in the Academy Award-winning films "Crash" (2004) and "Ray" (2004) made him a hot commodity. Howard's cache reached its zenith with his universally-acclaimed work in the gritty, yet inspiring urban drama "Hustle & Flow" (2005) and a prominent role in the superhero blockbuster "Iron Man" (2008). A big year, 2008 found Howard making his Broadway debut in a production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and releasing his first music album, <i>Shine Through It</i>. Unfortunately, it also saw him making headlines for assaulting a "Tin Roof" colleague and divorcing his first wife - for a second time - in a rocky relationship that had seen its share of violence as well. Although not invited to return in "Iron Man 2" (2010), Howard remained busy with projects like producer George Lucas' WWII aerial adventure "Red Tails" (2012). In a wide variety of roles, Howard could always be counted on to create a unique interpretation for even the most well-worn archetypes.

Secretly married on Jan. 20, 2010; Separated one year later on Jan. 27, 2011 and filed for divorce a few days later; She filed a restraining order against him on Dec. 6, 2011, claiming Howard constantly beat and threatened to kill her; court granted Ghent a temporary restraining order; Howard filed a counter suit, denying Ghent's allegations

Aubrey Howard

Daughter

Born c. 1993; mother, Lori McCommas

Heavenly Howard

Daughter

Born c. 1997; mother, Lori McCommas

Hunter Howard

Son

Born c. 1995; mother, Lori McCommas

Tyrone Howard

Father

Convicted for "The Santa Line Slaying," a nationally publicized incident that occurred in Cleveland, OH on Dec. 21, 1971 that resulted in the death of one man; charged with second-degree murder; spent 11 months in jail

Lori McCommas

Wife

Married in 1989; Divorced in 2003; Remarried in February 2005; Once again divorced in 2008

Anita Williams

Mother

Died in September 2008 after a long battle with cancer

May Yang

Companion

Post-breakup, Yang allegedly assaulted Howard on May 6, 2012

Education

Name

Pratt Institute

Notes

"It's like you don't meet any strangers now. And even though people just know me through the work, they have a fondness, like they've been able to see through a mirror-plated glass and see something, see their own reflection. That means I must have been honest to some degree." – Howard to CNN.com, July 26, 2005

"Terrence is just so watchable even when words aren't coming out of his mouth. For years he's been that guy in the background, that you were always watching, always looking over the shoulder of the main guy looking at Terrence." – John Singleton to CNN.com, July 26, 2005

"I got sidetracked. I kept thinking, I'll get a music deal somehow, even though I couldn't play anything at the time. I thought because I was a songwriter, because I had dreams it would work out." – Howard on how his acting career got in the way of his desire to sing, from the Associated Press, April 29, 2008

Howard's estranged wife Michelle Ghent filed a restraining order against him on Dec. 6, 2011, claiming he constantly beat and threatened to kill her during the course of their marriage. The court granted Ghent a temporary restraining order against Howard, however, he filed a counter suit and denied her allegations.